ExaroNews a British investigative web site, has just published the full transcript of a secretly recorded meeting between media mogul Rupert Murdoch and the staff of The Sun, a U.K. tabloid owned by News Corp., in which Murdoch admitted that he was aware for decades that journalists from his newspapers had been bribing both police and public officials. [...]

The Sun staffers were irate over Murdoch's decision to supply mass internal communications to the police "that had betrayed confidential sources, some of whom were public officials who received no payment for information," reports ExaroNews.

This little chat happened in a boardroom at The Sun's headquarters in East London. Here's a snippet (bolding is Gawker's):

"I guarantee you that [medical support] will continue. And I will do everything in my power to give you total support, even if you’re convicted and get six months or whatever. I think it’s just outrageous, but—and I don’t know of anybody, or anything, that did anything that wasn’t being done across Fleet Street and wasn’t the culture. And we’re being picked on. I think that it was the old right-wing establishment, [Lord] Puttnam, or worse, the left-wing get-even crowd of Gordon Brown. There was a sort of—we got caught with dirty hands, I guess, with the News of the World, and everybody piled in. It was a get-even time for things that were done with The Sun over the last 40 years, 38 years, whatever it is."

More than 800 potential new phone-hacking victims have been identified, the High Court will hear today, after a tabloid "supergrass" helped police secure fresh evidence.

Officers believe they have discovered evidence of a widespread but previously unknown conspiracy centred on the News of the World features desk, indicating that phone-hacking was deeply ingrained throughout Rupert Murdoch's tabloid empire.

The development threatens to reignite the debate surrounding press misconduct on the day that MPs vote on rival plans to implement the regulatory proposals of Lord Justice Leveson.

So far 2,500 people whose phones may have been hacked have been notified, and that number could rise "due to the scale of the additional conspiracy." New claims against News International are expected to pour in.

Information on how much money has already been paid out and to whom is here.

Looks like Rupie is sinking lower and lower (if that's even possible), because he's in deeper hot water than he has been (if that's even possible). The Guardian is reporting that there are around 600-- count 'em, 600!-- new allegations of phone-hacking incidents at Rupert Murdoch's defunct, defiled, and disgraced News of the World.

Detectives are examining an estimated 600 fresh allegations of phone-hacking incidents at Rupert Murdoch's now closed News of the World on the back of fresh evidence obtained by the Metropolitan police from a suspect turned supergrass.

Further details are expected to emerge on Monday morning at the high court during a hearing relating to the existing litigation by hacking victims against Murdoch's News International (NI) – hours before MPs are due to vote on joint Labour and Liberal Democrat amendments that would introduce a backstop law to stiffen regulation of the press.

Sources say Scotland Yard detectives believe they can identify as many as 600 new incidents after obtaining the phone records of an insider who is now being lined up as a crown witness.

Recently there was a slew of new arrests, and now this.

The revelations come at the worst possible time for David Cameron as he prepares to battle in parliament to protect the newspaper industry from what he fears is excessive state-backed regulation.

It's been awhile since the News Corp. hacking scandal got any real attention, so just for old time's sake, here's a quick update via Bloomberg:

News Corp. (NWSA)’s testimony about how a phone-hacking scandal was handled points to a possible cover-up at multiple levels within the organization, according to the findings of an inquiry into media ethics.

Judge Brian Leveson collected evidence from newspaper owners, reporters and people who counted themselves victims of bad behavior by U.K. media. His report today called for the formation of an independent media regulator, backed by legislation, that would have the power to impose fines of as much as 1 million pounds ($1.6 million).

News Corp.’s managers showed a lack of curiosity and urgency in sharing information about claims that reporters had been hacking into voice mails for stories, Leveson said.